The Eight Immortals (Ba Xian)
Li Tieguai
Li Tieguai lived in Western Zhou Dynasty. According to the legend, he once told his
apprentice to look after his body for seven days while his spirit travelled
to Heaven. However, on the sixth day, the apprentice received news about
his mother being sick, and so he had to return home. Before departing, the
apprentice cremated the body of his master. When the spirit of
Li returned from Heaven, he had no other choice but to enter the
corpse of a homeless man who have died of starvation. Unfortunately, the
appearance of the diseased man was hideous, and one of his legs was lame
as well. Later on, Li was approached by Lao Zi, who gave him an iron
crutch to help his lame leg. From that day on, Li was always seen carrying the
crutch, and so people called him Li Tieguai (Iron-crutch Li). When he became
an immortal, he was given the bottle-gourd, which people believed could relieve
suffering. Li Tieguai is regarded as the most ancient of the Eight Immortals.
Zhongli Quan
Zhongli Quan lived in the Han Dynasty and was considered as the leader of the
Eight Immortals. According to the legend, he was surrounded by bright beams of
light at birth, and it was also said that he did not stop crying until seven
days had passed. Zhongli Quan was a general serving the Han Dynasty, and he
was often depicted with his chest and belly bare. He also wielded a fan, which
had the ability to revive the dead.
Lan Caihe
Lan Caihe lived in the Tang Dynasty and was known for his strange personality.
According to the legend, he wore only shorts and thin shirts in winter, and
thick jacket and long pants in summer. He also walked with one foot bare and
another with shoe. Since many people believed that Lan Caihe was a hermaphrodite,
he was often pictured as either a youth, an aged man, or a girl, holding a
flower-basket. It was believed that the basket contained flowers that could prolong life.
Zhang Guolao
Zhang Guolao (Elder Zhang Guo) lived in the Tang Dynasty and was known as
an occult-alchemist on Mount Tiao in Heng Prefecture. During the reign of
Empress Wu Zetian (684 - 705 A.D.) he claimed to be several hundred years
old, and he also declared that he was the grand minister to Emperor
Yao during his previous existence. Zhang Guolao was often pictured as an old man
riding on a white donkey backwards, while holding either a phoenix feather
or a peach in his hand. Some people also believed that Zhang Guolao was the
personification of a white bat. Zhang Guolao is regarded as the most eccentric of the
Eight Immortals.
He Xiangu
He Xiangu lived in the Tang Dynasty and came from a wealthy and generous
family in Zengcheng County. According to the legend, she had six long hairs
on the crown of her head when she was born. Later on, a divine person appeared
in her dreams and instructed her to eat a powdered substance, which made
her body immune to death. He Xiangu was often depicted holding a lotus flower and
sometimes with a mouth-blown instrument, called sheng. A mythological Chinese
bird, called Fenghuang, may also be pictured by her side. People believed that
her lotus flower had the ability to improve one's health.
Lü Dongbin
Lü Dongbin lived in the Tang Dynasty and was originally named Lü Yan. He was
often pictured as a man dressed as a scholar, while wielding a sword that could
dispel evil. In real life, Lü Yan failed to pass the civil service exam, which
was required in order to become an official. When Lü Yan was in Chang An one
night, he dreamt that he passed the imperial exam, hence awarded a prestigious
office, and even married the daughter of a prosperous household. However, his
success and luck awakened the jealousy of others, which gradually led to
the tragic deteriation of both his career and his family. When Lü Yan woke
up from his dream, he suddenly realized the emptiness of the human world, and
therefore he decided to join Zhongli Quan in his quest of discovering the Dao. This
dream was later known as "Dream of the Yellow Millet" (Huang Liang Meng).
Han Xiangzi
Han Xianzi lived in the Tang Dynasty and was known to be a descendant of
Han Yu (founder of Neo-Confucianism). Han Xiang was a philosopher and
studied Daoism under Lü Dongbin. According to the legend, Han Xiangzi
possessed a flute that the ability to give life.
Cao Guojiu
Cao Guojiu lived in the Song Dynasty and was the younger brother of
Empress Dowager Cao (the wife of Emperor Renzong). The name Guojiu was a royal
title, meaning the Emperor's brother-in-law. Cao Guojiu was often depicted wearing an official's court dress and
holding a jade tablet. People believed that the jade tablet had the ability to purify the environment.
